


High Explosives

by Pixelatrix



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Friendship, Multi, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-03 03:07:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2835773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darby Shepard left London at a young age to avoid being sold to a corporation for biotic research.  She works at a pub until she meets young smuggler named Joseph Vaughn, and she decides to take a different path in life.</p><p>This is an AU.  </p><p>Darby never joins the Alliance.  She’s never learned to control her temper.  She’s never learned to control her biotics to the extent she should given the extremely powerful nature of her biotics.  She doesn’t give a fuck about rules and feels no loyalty to anyone, aside from Joe.</p><p>And she still goes back to the pub every once in a while. One of those times she sees two Alliance officers and decides they’re easy marks to find intel on Alliance outposts to raid or not so easy as it turns out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Truth Retold](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168764) by [Pixelatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelatrix/pseuds/Pixelatrix). 



> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

_Tiny._

_Blonde._

_Angry._

The three words most often used to describe Darby Shepard as a kid. She’d grown up on the Red Mile in London with her drug addict and dealer father. Her mother died in childbirth.

She ran drugs for her father. The thugs on the mile tended to ignore the blonde waif. Her life wasn’t _ideal_ , but it was what she had.

It all changed two weeks before Darby’s thirteenth birthday. She’d been on the streets with some of her buddies from the Reds when a transport exploded above a section of the mile. The kids had scattered but ended up covered in Eezo fuel from the cruiser.

Three died. The rest glowed blue. And that’s when everything started to go even worse than it had been.  

Even at twelve, Darby was well aware of the failings of her father. He was abusive and often drugged out of his mind. He was _always_ looking for easy credits and corporations were paying a ton for biotic test cases. The writing was on the wall when Darby came home to find her dad talking to two men and a woman, all dressed in expensive suits.  

Ducking into her bedroom without being seen, Darby quickly started throwing things haphazardly into the one thread-bare rucksack. It had belonged to an Alliance marine who’d been about to throw it out when she grabbed it from him. She sewed up the hole in the bottom and had used it ever since.

She added the only prize possession she owned—a stolen copy of Jane Eyre. It was more important than an extra pair of socks. She’d feel even more alone without it.

Once the strangers were gone, Darby waited until her father fell into a drugged stupor before stepping out of her room. She stole the one sandwich in the fridge and her dad’s omni-tool then left home for good.   There was no way London would be safe for her any longer.

Trudging down the streets, Darby formulated a plan to get away. She snuck onto the first ship she could find at the skyport. It wasn’t until they docked in Dublin that one of the crew found her and tossed her out the airlock.

Four years later, Darby was still roaming the streets of Dublin. She’d stumbled into a part-time job cleaning Ian’s Pub. The owner, Ian, had found her scrounging in his rubbish one night and offered her work. She liked him because he never asked where she was going to sleep at night.

He already knew Darby slept in a small alcove off the alley near the pub. It was where they’d met for the second time. He usually left food out for her on the counter while she cleaned.

She told herself it wasn’t fucking charity when she was mopping the floors.

_Mopping floors fucking sucked._

“Buy you a drink?”

Darby glanced over at the brown-haired teenager standing by the bar. “You old enough to fucking buy yourself a drink, let alone some girl?”

“You don’t act like ‘some girl.’” He held out his hand toward. “Joseph Vaughn.”

“Darby Shepard.” She raised an eyebrow at the hand in front of her. “The fuck do you want?”

“A drinking buddy who isn’t already grey and wrinkled?” Joe nodded toward the two men sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. “My dad and uncle are the biggest bores on the damn planet. Save me?”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

“Yep.”

Darby grabbed his hand and shook it then laughed at him. “I’ll _borrow_ a couple beers and we can drink out back. Ian’ll leave us fucking be out there.”

“Darby…” Joe followed her through the kitchen out the back door of the pub. “This is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

“ _Fucking idiot.”_

“So you said.” Joe plopped down on a turned over crate next to one Darby perched on. “I hear you’re a biotic.”

Darby’s eyes narrowed. “Fuck off.”

“Easy, shit, you’ve got a temper.” Joe held his hands up to diffuse her anger. “Listen, you can’t honestly plan on mopping the damn floor for the rest of your life.”

“And?”

“How about smuggling?” Joe grinned at her. “My uncle owns the ship. I’m just a lowly requisitions gopher, but we could use a biotic. My uncle pays for me to get my education via the extra-net. He’d pay you enough to do the same. And you…”

“I what?” Darby glared at him. “What? Spit it the fuck out, _Joseph.”_

“You wouldn’t have to sleep in the alley ever night.” Joe took a sip of beer. “Look, the beds are shit and it’s cold as hell on the ship, but you get food and credits.”

“And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’? Isn’t that enough?”

“What’s in it for you…or your uncle?” Darby had seen enough to know people didn’t do things out of the goodness of their heart—not for street rats.

“A powerful biotic that he can train to fight?” Joe shrugged. “I just want someone on the ship who’s my damn age for once.”

“Fine.”

“Excellent.”

_“Idiot.”_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“She’s lost what little damn mind she had.” JJ Vaughn, Joe’s uncle, nudged his nephew then gestured toward the blonde biotic making short work of a small unit of Blue Suns who had been guarding a supply depot. “Does she realize we’ve got weapons?”

“Darby has shit to work through,” Joe shrugged.  He figured as long as Darby vented her anger on the people they were attempting to _borrow_ from it wasn’t an issue.

“She just annihilated a mercenary unit—alone.”

“Okay.” Joe started to walk toward the building. “So she has a lot of _shit_ to work through.”

“ _She_ can fucking hear you over the comm.” Darby sounded out of breath and annoyed when she broke into their conversation. “Are you fucking idiots planning on helping at some point?”

“Sorry, precious, I assumed we were just here to watch.” JJ sniped back at her.

Joe grinned as the two argued crankily at one another. He hadn’t expected the blonde to fit in so well in their smuggling family. Darby, now twenty-one, had trained with his uncle and studied alongside Joe. His family insisted they get an education—even if it was done over the extra-net.

The Vaughn family had taken to Darby quite well.  She was like the sister Joe never knew he wanted. They were only a couple of months apart in age, and more often than not were following each other into trouble.

“Stop fucking calling me precious.” Darby skidded to a stop beside them and punched JJ in the arm. “The supplies are gone.”

“Gone?”

“Yes, ancient fucking one, gone.” Darby kicked one of the dead batarians on the ground. “Who the fuck told you something was out here? There’s nothing, aside from the dead suns.”

“Shit.” JJ pointed to the shuttles landing in the distance. “Alliance patrol units.”

“So who the fuck did you piss off?” Darby frowned at him. She crouched down to lift a rocket launcher from one of the dead marines. “We can’t fucking kill Alliances marines. It’s bad for business.”

 _“Darby.”_ Joe eyed the rocket launcher then the blonde who had a wonderful tendency toward creating utter chaos.

“Oi, biotic lunatic, whatever you’re thinking. No.” JJ reached for the weapon, but Darby pulled out of reach. “C’mon, precious.”

She grinned at both of them then turned to Joe. “I bet you four beers I can blow their shuttles without hurting any of them.”

Joe couldn’t help, but smirk in return. “Six beers says you can’t.”

“Done.”

The two men made their way toward their own shuttle to prepare it for what Joe knew would be a rushed departure. Darby clambered up on top of a stack of crates to get a better look at the approaching Alliance unit.   She might have aged, but hadn’t really grown much taller.

* * *

With her eyes on the marines, Darby waited until they were a safe distance from their transport. She sighted the first shuttle and after checking for heat signatures through her visor, pulled the trigger to blast the Kodiak into the sky. She took out the remaining ones next then used the scope to watch their reaction.

It wasn’t a surprise that the marines immediately spun around to the smouldering wreckage of their Kodiaks. Darby did find herself, however, drawn to the one soldier whose attention remained forward. He looked _massive_ and intimidating—taller and broader than the rest of the unit. He scanned the area then stopped on her.

She dove to the left when the fucker fired a shot at her. She ripped her now ruined helmet off and shot to her feet to storm across the compound toward him. “You fucking Alliance twat.”

“ _Darby.”_

Ignoring Joe’s worried shout, Darby jumped over a few crates and stopped in front of the man. She had to stand on one of them to reach his helmet which she yanked off of him before punching him square in the jaw. The biotic juice she added to the hit sent him sprawling to the ground like a felled tree.

“Fucker.” She spun on her hell to head away only to come to a sudden halt when a large hand clamped on her ankle. She found herself on the ground pinned by the giant. “Get the fuck off me, you overgrown idiot.”

“You blew up my shuttle, punk.”

“Punk?” Darby snorted “How many marines did you eat to grow into a fucking giant one?”

“One.”

Darby grinned wickedly then shoved the man off her with a biotic pulse. “See you ‘round the galaxy, fucker.”

“What’s your name, blondie?” The mountain pushed himself to his feet and called out to her. “I’m fucking talking to you, punk.”

Darby glanced over her shoulder at him. “it’s none of your fucking business. I don’t talk to fuckers who try to kill me.”

“You destroyed my shuttles.”

“Yeah? So?” Darby shrugged. “The Alliance has more, and I made sure they were empty. I’ve only got one fucking head.”

“Darby, get your ass in the shuttle. Stop flirting with the marine.” JJ’s angry growl made Darby laugh, but she winked at the marine before running toward her own shuttle. Joe’s uncle glared at her while Joe tried to control his amusement. “Why didn’t you just invite the bastard to tea?”

“I don’t fucking drink tea.” Darby dodged the hand that flew toward the back of her head. “Are you jealous?”

“I am surrounded by juvenile infants who are childish and annoying.” JJ dropped onto one of the seats. He glared at his nephew. “Get us back to the ship and stop laughing.”

“Juvenile infants who are childish. Isn’t that a little fucking redundant?” Darby ducked to avoid the helmet he threw at her. “Fucker.”

“Why do I put up with you?”

“Because I’m fucking precious?”

* * *

 

_From: Stuart Wallace_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Smugglers._

_Mocking me isn’t going to get your dick taking care of._

_Look, the blonde punk took me by surprise. I can’t find anything on anyone named ‘Darby’ anywhere. Who the fuck is the little punk?_

_Have you ever met a smuggler who wouldn’t kill an Alliance marine? She destroyed the shuttles after we were out of them. The fuck was that?_

_She had a London accent. I’d know it anywhere, even sounded like she was from the mile.   I wonder if David still has contacts in the office in London._

_Stuart_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JJ Vaughn(Joe's Uncle): http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/106076662806/silverfoxmen-russell-brown-model


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Three long weeks of slugging through raiding batarian slaver bases, JJ and his crew were more than ready for a break. Darby and Joe were practically swinging from the rafters trying to find something to do other than shoot batarians. JJ told his pilot to head for Dublin. It wasn’t long before they were all making a massive dent in Ian’s beer supply.

JJ stood outside the pub smoking on his pipe. He watched the clouds rolling in and considered his plans for the evening which had changed drastically after seeing Darby dressed a ripped tank-top and skin-tight faded jeans.   He’d found his own jeans a little uncomfortable after watching her arse for a while.

It changed his original thoughts on finding yet another random woman at the bar for a fun night to exploring the looks the blonde biotic had been giving him for weeks. The looks started after the two had been sparring in the shuttle bay. Darby had tackled him, but ended up pinned to the floor underneath him.

Pursuing anything, even a few kisses, with Darby would be tricky and potentially hazardous. The blonde had issues—a lot of them. Her temper was simply the way she chose to vent her frustrations. He wouldn’t turn his ship into a battleground for it.

Not that he could blame her for her anger.

When Jo had brought Darby into the fold, JJ had done a thorough background check on her. He’d even hired someone to travel to London to investigate her childhood. The things the investigator discovered made JJ truly feel for her. No kid should’ve been put through that much trauma.

While JJ hadn’t shared the information with anyone, he’d made sure _everyone_ knew to keep an eye on her. Darby deserved to be precious to someone. He’d decided at the time that she’d be precious to his family. Joe’d already taken to her like they were twins separated at birth.

Stepping back into the pub, JJ froze when he spotted Darby chatting up…or maybe being chatted up by a man he knew only too well—Stuart Wallace. He gritted his teeth and stowed his pipe in the front pocket of his jacket.   The two were definitely flirting if Darby’s smirk was anything to go by.

Major Stuart Wallace.

It was a name he’d tried to forget. The two men had gone through bootcamp together. Wallace had been a thorn in his side. They’d put each other through hell if he were being honest with himself.

The _Wall_ had always been close to two other marines, David Anderson and Steven Hackett. Hackett was an annoying stuffed up prat and Anderson always seemed to have a stick up his ass. JJ was too _loose_ with the regs to truly get along with the any of them.

_Stinking Alliance jackasses._

He’d bugged out of military service after only two years so he didn’t have to deal with them. It hadn’t been the life for him so he’d decided to join the family business. Smuggling allowed for a lot more freedom.

Making his way across the bar, JJ ignored his nephew who seemed highly entertained. He’d make Joe pay for that later. It was one of the advantages of being the captain of the ship.

“Is seduction part of Alliance recruitment now?” JJ wedged himself onto the booth next to Darby. “You never change do you, Wallace?”

“Recruitment?” Darby snorted into her beer. “Is that was this is fucking about? Think you can ‘save’ the fucking smuggler punk? Newsflash, _Wally_ , I’m not fucking Alliance material.”

“The fuck?” Wallace reached for Joe, but found himself frozen in place. “Recruitment and flirting were two separate fucking things for what it’s worth. What do you even care, Vaughn? You never were one to stick around when anyone needs you. Does Blondie know that?”

“The name’s Darby.” She leaned across the table to snag Wallace’s beer who deftly moved it out of reach.. “Not that watching you two fucking idiots isn’t fascinating, but what’s it got to do with me?”

“I…”

“Jealous?” Darby tilted her head back to roar with laughter. “Honestly? How about you plop your fucking dicks on the table so I can compare which one I prefer?”

JJ’s eyes narrowed when Wallace smirked and reached toward the button on his jeans. “No one needs to see that thing in a goddamn pub.”

“Oh?” Darby gave JJ a wicked grin. “Afraid yours won’t fucking measure up?”

“No one is swinging any kind of bloody weapon in my pub, love.” Ian broke into the conversation. He rested a heavy hand on Wallace’s shoulder. “Time to go, Stuart.”

“This isn’t over.”

JJ watched Wallace leave with those parting words and wondered absently whether he was talking to Darby, JJ or himself. _Shit for brains marines._ “No, I doubt it is over.”

“Fucking shame. It was just getting good.” Darby reached across the table to grab Wallace’s half-finished drink. The fingers of her unoccupied hand danced across his upper thigh. “Still waiting for a fucking demonstration.”

“Waiting’s good for you.” JJ winked at her then slid out of the booth to check on his nephew. “You can wait a bit longer.”

“ _Fucker.”_

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So honesty time, this is way shorter than my normal chapters, but I needed to get this in before the next chapter. Sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The ship was blissfully quiet when JJ made his way down the bridge. He had the AI adjust the lighting slightly since the rest of the crew was drinking the night away. His enjoyment was cut short when he heard the telltale sounds of Darby experimenting with her biotics—bangs, thuds and curses.

“You all right, precious?” JJ asked after making his way down to the shuttle bay to find her.

Darby glared at him then went back to attempting to levitate herself up to the ceiling with her biotics. “Fucker. Don’t distract me.”

“She’s been trying to fly.” Joe waved his uncle over and offered him a bottle of Asari whiskey that looked oddly familiar. “Fueled by the shit we stole from your quarters.”

“Shhh.” Darby wavered in the air. “Don’t insult the fucking rum. It’s senshitive.”

“Senshitive?” Joe snickered.

“ _Joseph.”_ JJ frowned at his nephew. They tried to keep Darby from experimenting biotical under the influence. Her biotics tended to burn off the liquor quickly, but there were times when it didn’t burn off. Those tended to end _badly_. “Get down, Darby.”

“And boogie?” She grinned sloppily at him. “Might’ve drunk your fucking whiskey and beer too.”

JJ was getting a new lock for his liquor cabinet and never letting Darby listen to his old style records _ever_ again. “I’m serious, precious. Get your blonde ass down on the ground.”

“My ass isn’t fucking blonde.” Darby veered sharply to the left and almost banged into the shuttle.

JJ sent a sharp glare at his nephew again. “I’m holding you responsible if she breaks anything, including herself.”

“All right, all right, but how the hell am I going talk her down?” Joe raised his hands in surrender. “In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not prone to listening.”

“I can fucking hear you.” Darby’s biotics failed for a moment and she dropped to the floor. She grabbed the bottle of rum before Joe could stop her and took a massive gulp of it then went back to _hovering._ “Fuckers.”

“You aren’t a damn hovercraft, Darby.” Joe retrieved the bottle from where she’d left it.

“This was your fucking idea.”

“Oh?” JJ stepped closer to Joe. “Your idea?”

“She’s drunk,” Joe shrugged. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“ _Joseph…”_

Joe shot to his feet and shoved JJ out of the way. “ _Darby!”_

JJ spun around in time to see Darby floating high above them. She’d managed to float herself all the up until her head bashed against the top of the shuttle bay. She crashed to the ground in a heap a second later with a pained groan.

* * *

 

_From: Joe_

_To: Darby_

_Subj: Where’d you go?_

_Are you even supposed to be out of the hospital?_

_C’mon? JJ’s not mad at you. He’s pissed off at me because you got hurt. I’m sorry._

_Save me from my crazy uncle?_

_Isn’t that what best friends are for?_

_Joe_

_P.S. I’m worried about you._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Doctors were fucking assholes.

It was the conclusion Darby had come to after working with a physical therapist on her banged up knee for a week. She glared in disgust at the cane by her side. _Fucking thing._ The idiot doctor had suggested she get used to using it.

She was _technically_ supposed to still be at the hospital in therapy. _Fuck it._ She’d stolen a shuttle and bailed on everyone and the fucking pity in their eyes. They could shove the pity up their arses.

‘ _With a little extra effort and patience…’_

The idiot doctor always started with that. Darby had totally lost control of her rage and biotics when they’d told her the damage to her knee might never fully heal. It wasn’t like she’d ever really had much control to being with.

Bailing from the hospital had been easy and necessary; Darby had to get out before she blew the place up. She had stolen a shuttle from JJ. He was less likely to send someone after her—immediately. He tended to let her cool off for a bit first.

Landing the shuttle near an Alliance depot, Darby decided to channel her energy into mayhem. JJ could always use supplies to sell. He might even forgive her for _borrowing_ the shuttle and leave off the lecture.

“Fuck.” Darby’s leg gave out and she hit the ground hard. “Fucking useless piece of fucking shit leg. God fucking damn it. Why fucking me?”

Darby pounded her fist uselessly into the dirt then rolled over on her back. She stretched out to grab her cane, but it was out of reach. _Fucking typical._ She shifted around until she was hidden from sight behind a massive boulder when voices sounded down the path.

_“Fuck.”_

“Not in your condition, blondie.”

Darby shielded her eyes with her hand to block out the sun to get a better look at the familiar voice—Wallace. “Fuck off.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Wallace tapped her cane against the rock that he was leaning against.

“Sunbathing.”

“You’re fully clothed.”

Darby tilted her head to the side to get a look at the second voice. She found herself looking at a _very_ attractive older man with a greying beard and the kind of bearing which told her people probably listened to him without questioning. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Admiral Steven Hackett.”

Darby flashed a grin at the man. “I can get fucking naked if you’d prefer I sunbathe that way.”

“I’d prefer you get your ass off the fucking ground and tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.” Wallace grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. He shot forward with concern in his eyes when she immediately crumpled to the ground. “The fuck happened to you?”

Darby snatched her cane from him and shoved it into his gut. She left him coughing and struggled to her feet with the cane for support. “I fucked my leg up.”

Wallace rubbed his hand across his stomach. “Fucking hell. How badly?”

“Well, I can’t fucking walk and I have a fuck cane. The fuck do you think?” Darby swung her cane against him with her hand resting on the boulder for support, but Wallace dodged out of the way. “Fucker.”

“So you thought you’d….” Wallace frowned in confusion. “Why the fuck are you here?”

“I believe she’s venting her anger at life by attempting to screw the Alliance.” Hackett’s blue eyes were focused on Darby. She resisted the urge to fidget under the intensity of his gaze. “Do you really think you’ll get by an entire unit of armed marines when you can’t even walk a quarter of a mile from your shuttle without collapsing?”

“Fucking watch me.” Darby’s biotics started to flare up wildly.

“I have a better idea.” Hackett didn’t offer her his arm which meant Darby no longer felt like bashing his skull in.

She decided it would be easier to get into the Alliance facility with an Alliance escort so following the two officers was a no-brainer. The Admiral led her through a set of hallways through a door into a training area. He gestured toward a row of mannequins that lined a wall.

“What?” Darby glared at him. “The fuck do you want me to do?”

“Those are for biotics. Destroy them. It might help with your anger.” Hackett took a few steps back to give her room.

After wasting a good fifteen minutes firing biotic pulses at the dummies, Darby turned toward the two human dummies and froze them before either could move. She grinned wickedly at Wallace then leaning heavily on her cane limped toward Hackett. She eased his omni-tool off of him then winked at him.

“Thanks for the help. The stasis should dissipate soon enough.” Darby laughed all the way out the door which she made sure to _seal_ securely.  She used Hackett’s security clearance to get into the loading zone of the base. She found brand-new Kodiak which had already been loaded with supplies for an upcoming mission. _Perfect._ “Alliance fucking idiots.”

The shiny _new_ Kodiak apparently made up for her losing their old shuttle at least that was Joe’s opinion. JJ simply watched her with concern in his eyes which annoyed the fuck out of Darby. She disappeared into the crew quarters to avoid him.

“So let me get this straight, you had two hot men frozen in stasis and you didn’t touch either of them… _once?”_ Joe flopped down on her bed, careful to avoid hitting Darby’s leg. “You weren’t even tempted? I’d have stripped the bastards naked in a second.”

Darby grabbed her cane and poked Joe in the side hard. “You don’t ever touch someone without fucking permission. _Ever._ I’ll break your fucking hands if you even think about it again.”

“Darby?”

“I’m going to sleep. Fuck off.” Darby rolled over and ignored Joe until he left her alone.

Pulling the Admiral’s omni-tool out of her pocket, Darby started going through his inbox. She sent out a _mass_ email to the Alliance Admiralty from _Admiral Steven Hackett_. The main text of the message was a dirty limerick she’d heard JJ telling Ian at the pub the other night. With that handled, Darby flopped on her back with a groan when the move jostled her knee.

_Fucking thing._

* * *

 

_From: Stuart Wallace_

_To: Steven Hackett_

_Subj: re: Messages._

_The blonde punk apparently enjoys a good joke._

_We might want to change all of the passcodes that you had access to. I just got a message from Evert. It seems someone broke into one of the armouries on the moon and emptied it out using your codes._

_Don’t glare at the fucking message. This was not my fault._

_Stuart_

* * *

 

“Darby?”

She blinked a few times in the darkness and finally realized JJ was sitting on her bunk. “Wha…fuck…what time is it?”

“Four in the morning.” JJ reached out to take her hand. “You were screaming your damn head off.”

“I…” Darby yanked her hand away from him. “I don’t have fucking nightmares.”

“Of course not, was it perhaps a spider?”

“Fuck off.”

* * *

 

_From: Steven Hackett_

_To: The Blonde Punk with my Omni-tool._

_Subj: Amusing._

_You’ll find you no longer have access to my inbox or Alliance facilities. Enjoy the omni-tool. I look forward to see you again._

_Hackett_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“I’m fucking useless like this.” Darby slammed her cane into the ground in frustration.

“Well, yeah, but you weren’t much use before really.” Joe grinned at her.

“Fucker.” She took the cane when he handed it back to her. “Where’s JJ?”

“Busy, so he can’t kill me for agreeing to go along with this terrible idea.” Joe glanced over at her from where he was hacking the lock of an Alliance apartment. “Why are we doing this again?”

“Making a fucking point.”

“A point of what?”

“I’m still working on that.”

“Look, Darby, I know…” Joe raised his hand to block her cane. “I know the busted leg is messing with your head. It’ll get better.”

“Really? Did your magical tea leaves tell you that this morning?” Darby nudged him again to get him moving. “Hurry the fuck up.”

“If we get busted for this shit, I’m hiding your damn cane.” Joe grumbled at her before focusing on the lock.

It took an agonizing fifteen minutes to accomplish their task.   Darby had plotted it out for weeks. She had the _perfect_ plan to send a fuck you message to the Alliance.   It all culminated with them gathering every scrap of clothing from the closet and wardrobe of the only Admiral she’d ever met in person.

Piling up the clothing and uniforms in a heap outside of the officers’ quarters, Darby set fire to it then quickly started to hobble away. She’d used a biotic barrier to contain the flames. It would hopefully keep the fire form damaging the apartments and also give them time to get to the docking bay.

“Think they’ll notice the fucking fire?” Darby grinned at Joe as they ducked around a corner to avoid a unit of marines heading the opposite way. “They noticed.”

“If we get back to Dublin without getting busted, I’m buying myself a beer.” Joe grabbed the back of her leather jacket to drag her forward. “Move.”

“I have a fucking busted leg. I’m moving as fast as I fucking can.” Darby stumbled to a halt when Joe froze. She glanced up to find the way blocked by the Admiral in question. “Fuck.”

“Do I even want to know what you’re doing here?” Hackett frowned at her. “Well?”

“There’s a fire back there. You might want to check it out.” Joe gestured behind them then snatched Darby’s wrist to lead her away from the man. “Fire is bad and shit.”

“Fire is bad and shit?” Darby snorted loudly then shoved him away from her while they continued on to the shuttle. She glanced over her shoulder to find Hackett watching them. “Fuck. I’d give anything to get a look at his face when he realizes what the fucking fire was.”

“How about you settle for getting our arses to safety and avoiding jail time?” Joe herded her onto the shuttle. He glared at her when she swatted him with the cane again. “Quit it. I did your stupid thing, stop thrashing me with your stick.”

“Fucker.”

“Darby.”

“Shh. I’m fucking thinking.”

“ _Darby.”_

 _“What?”_ She snapped at him.

“We have an escort.” Joe motioned to the display where it was clear they were being followed by Alliance jets. “Shit. They’re hailing us.”

“Well, put the fucker up on the vid-comm. I wouldn’t want to be rude.” Darby hoped to hell her bit of fun wasn’t going to end up with them blown into the sky. “Might’ve been a bad fucking idea.”

“Might?” Joe muttered. “Go be charming.”

“Can I be fucking charming?” Darby shifted over to stand in front of the vid-screen. “We’re fucked.”

“Yep.”

“Fucker.” Darby waited for the Alliance _representative_ to pop up in front. Her mouth dropped open when she realized it was Hackett. “Did the Alliance need something?”

“We’re going to have a little conversation, you and I. I might even consider letting you and your friend go free when the conversation is over.” Hackett sounded and looked incredibly pissed off which made Darby grin at him. “This isn’t a joke. Return the shuttle, don’t make me order the pilots to fire on you. I do believe that’s an Alliance Kodiak you’re flying. Care to explain how you got it?”

“I don’t owe you a fucking thing.”

“Do you owe your friend something? Should he die for your need to show the world how pissed off you are?” Hackett didn’t pull any punches.

“Fucking…fine.” Darby glanced over at Joe. “Turn us around.”

Insisting Joe stay behind in the Kodiak with the door sealed, Darby stepped out to find Hackett waiting with three armed marines behind him. She regretted her decision almost immediately when two of the guards rushed her. She found herself bound with biotic dampening cuffs and practically carried away from the docks into a small room where they shoved her down into a chair. Hackett took a seat across from her with a small table between them.

“I think it’s time we have a chat about appropriate behaviour and the consequences of destruction of Alliance property.” Hackett leaned forward with his elbows resting on the table. “Anything to say?”

“Go fuck yourself.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bioware owns all sadly.
> 
> Kudos, Subscriptions and Bookmarks are a drug that I love to receive. Comments are chocolate, they make everything better. I am thankful for all of them.
> 
> Shout out to my spectacular betas: CelticGrace & MissMeggo929
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

The scruffy blonde sitting across the table from Hackett looked like she’d murder him in his sleep if he’d just let her go. She was still wearing the biotic dampening cuffs which was likely the only thing keeping her from attacking him. He watched her in silence for a few minutes while she seethed.

“Is there a reason you risked the lives of my officers by setting fire to my uniforms?” Hackett asked curiously. He wasn’t certain why he’d been the target as opposed to Stuart. “Several were injured dousing the flames.”

“And?”

“I thought you had rules about hurting the Alliance.” Hackett had realized after studying Vaughn’s group that they worked very hard to avoid injuring Alliance marines.

“Not a fucking fan of rules.” Darby yanked on the straps holding her to the chair. “The fuck am I here for? Did you hurt Joe?”

“Your friend made it safely back to Vaughn’s ship.”

“ _Fucker._ ”

“I’m sure Joseph Vaug…”

“Not him, you.” Darby’s eyes glittered with anger. “I don’t like being fucking contained.”

“Maybe someone should teach you how to control your anger and you wouldn’t need to be contained.” Hackett thought prodding the angry biotic might not be a brilliant plan of action, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Oh? Really? Fuck off, Alliance prick.”

“I see Vaughn transferred his rather dismal manners to you.” Hackett bit back a smile when Darby reacted violently to his casual statement.

_Too easy._

It reminded him of trying to anger Stuart. He simply had to find the right button to push.   Darby appeared to be protective of her friends.

A street kid like Darby likely hadn’t experienced many, if any, healthy relationships growing up. Hackett had no doubts it would be one of her few weakness.   He eased back in his chair and rested his hand casually on the table as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Joseph abandoned you fairly easily.”

The silence in the room felt more explosive than Hackett had experienced before. He lifted an eyebrow as Darby shifted forward in her chair. Her arms moved ever so slightly several times. He had a brief moment to consider why before she’d launched herself at him.

She had both of her hands around his throat holding him to the floor with his broken chair underneath them. “Don’t fucking mess with my friends.”

“You have friends?”

Darby reared back and slammed her first into his jaw. “Fuck you.”

“You have two seconds before this room is filled with marines.” Hackett shocked her by smiling up at her. “I wondered how long your temper would hold.”

_“Fucker.”_

“The Alliance can help…”

“The Alliance has done jack-fucking-shit for kids like me. We got tossed to the fucking side and no one gives a fucking damn. We get picked up by fucking gangs or Cerberus and used by them or tossed in jail because no one wants to deal with us.” Darby eased off of Hackett and grabbed his arm to yank him off of the floor. “The fuck would I want help from you?”

“Darby…” Hackett found himself disarmed and suddenly held hostage by the slip of a woman. “What are you doing?”

“Getting the fuck off of this station.” Darby pressed what had been his pistol against his spine. “Walk or I’ll remove your fucking ability to walk.”

“How far do you really think you’re going to get?”

“I’ve got one of the most decorate Alliance admirals with a gun to his fucking back. I’m getting as far as I fucking want to go.” Darby shoved him forward, using her cane to prod him. “ _Walk._ ”

Signalling the officers out the door to move back, Hackett allowed Darby to take him all the way to the skyport.   He wouldn’t risk her getting shot by one of the officers because he’d made the mistake of setting her off. The pain in his jaw caused him to regret the decision—a little.

Darby paused before stepping into an empty Kodiak. “Going to shoot me out of the fucking air if I take this?”

“Not this time.”

She grinned wickedly at him as she spun him around to shove him toward a nearby wall where she kissed the bruise forming on his jaw. “Stupid fucker.”

He stayed by the wall watching Darby make her escape. He shook his head and muttered to himself when the Kodiak was out of sight. “This isn’t over.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm ending this one here for now.
> 
> Odds are I'll come back to it, but I've got a few other things to work on, and I'm stalled for where exactly I want this to go long term.

Standing in the shuttle bay, JJ watched a Kodiak with Alliance colours land on his ship for the second time. Darby was making quite a habit of bringing him state of the art shuttles.   It almost made up for the stress the slender blonde put on his heart when she went off on her own.

JJ waited impatiently for the door to open. It finally did and Darby limped out looking completely exhausted. “You all right, precious?”

“Been better. Fucking Alliance.” Darby slumped back against the now sealed shuttle door and made a weak attempt at smacking him on the chest with her cane. “I fucked up.”

“Yep.” JJ wasn’t going to argue that particular point with her. “You’ve got strong biotics and a good mind. It’s not a shock the Alliance wants you. It was completely idiotic to play into it though.   You should’ve stayed the hell away from Arcturus.”

“Fuckers.” Darby turned a wicked grin JJ’s way though her eyes held a hint of what he thought might be vulnerability. “And what do you fucking want?”

He considered her for several moments before closing the gap between them. His hands rested against the shuttle on either side of her, blocking her in. “I want my crew safe, my nephew to grow up, beer and you in my bed.”

“Me? You’ve lost your fucking mind if you think I’m going to be the last fucking priority on your list.” Darby Gripped her cane tightly in one hand, but her other came up to tangle in the collar f his shirt. She dragged him closer until their lips were inches apart. “Are you sure you want to go down this fucking road? I’m not fucking easy.”

JJ grinned at what was definitely an understatement. “Oh, I know exactly how high-maintenance you can be, precious.”

Darby caught him in the knee with her cane, causing him to hit the floor. “Smug fucker. I’ll show you high-maintenance.”

Twisting around slightly for a better angle, JJ caught Darby with on foot on her ankle and his other arm looping around her thighs to lower her to the ground. He shifted up to cover her small frame with his much larger one. His hands were once again resting on either side of her to block her in.

“You were saying?”

“I could use my biotics to toss you across the fucking room.” Darby’s eyes glinted dangerously as she met his gaze. They narrowed when he failed to respond outside of a shrug. “What the fuck…”

JJ bent forward to silence her with his lips. He teased her with a soft kiss then caught her bottom lip with his teeth to tug roughly on it before slipping his tongue into her mouth.   He leaned back after a moment to smile at her.

“Fucker.” She lifted him up with her biotics and dropped him a few feet away from her. She used her cane to slowly get up to her feet. “We’re not doing a fucking thing on the shuttle bay floor. It’s fucking uncomfortable.”

“High-maintenance,” JJ muttered to himself.

“If you two are done, we’ve got a hail from the Alliance.” Joe sounded far to amused for JJ’s liking. “Get your asses up to the CIC, if you’re quite finished feeling each other up.”

“ _Joseph.”_

“Uncle?”

“Shut the hell up before I do it for you.”

“ _Darby and JJ kissing…”_

 _“Joseph.”_ JJ started toward the door to give his nephew a piece of his mind only to find himself frozen by a biotic field. “Precious?”

Darby moved to stand in front of him. “We’re going to fucking finish what you fucking started back there, just not where Joe’s watching.”

“And I’m frozen, why?”

Darby trailed her fingers down the front of his shirt to rest on the first button of his jeans. “If you fucking toy with me, I’ll fucking find a way to destroy you into tiny fucking pieces.”

“Fair enough.” JJ grinned at her. “And Darby?”

“Yeah?”

“No more Alliance bastards, got it?”

“Jealous?” Darby smirked before stepping back and releasing him from the stasis. She made it as far as the door before JJ was backing her up against it.

JJ caught her by the hips with an iron grip and captured her mouth for another kiss. “No more alliance bastards.”

“Fine, fine. Fucking idiot.”

**Author's Note:**

> Face Reference:   
> Darby: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/83752880163/darby-shepard
> 
> Joe: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/79072433693/british-lord-the-old-high-british-aristocracy
> 
> Wallace: http://pixelatrix.tumblr.com/post/98917062381/quite-the-norm-joe-manganiello-oh-lord


End file.
